Portland Homeless Family SolutionsPortland Homeless Family Solutions

Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide temporary emergency shelter to homeless families with children, access to transitional resources to help families achieve self-sufficiency, and advocacy to help alleviate family homelessness on a large scale. Read more

Causes

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Mission Statement

Our mission is to provide temporary emergency shelter to homeless families with children, access to transitional resources to help families achieve self-sufficiency, and advocacy to help alleviate family homelessness on a large scale.

Description

Portland Homeless family Solutions is a non-profit that runs two homeless shelters for families with children. The Goose Hollow Family Shelter serves as our night shelter while the Thirteen Salmon Family Center serves as our day shelter. Both shelters act a s winter emergency shelters. Goose Hollow Family Shelter was started at First United Methodist Church in 1994, as one of the few family shelters in the Portland metro area that allows homeless families to stay together while living in a temporary shelter. This is the first year the Thirteen Salmon Family Center has opened its doors.

Families staying at the Shelter are provided a light breakfast, lunch, and an evening meal .They have access to a case worker, internet, showers, laundry facilities, sleeping areas (partitioned for families), and constructive activities for kids. Thanks to many donations received throughout the year, we maintain a pantry of personal toiletry items and a clothes closet of re-cycled clothing for shelter families.

People from many faiths and traditions, community organizations, businesses and from the secular community, serve as volunteers. Portland Homeless Family Solutions relies on the services of more than 9 volunteers each day. More than 270 volunteers are needed a month. Volunteers prepare and serve the evening meal, set out lunch, provide activities for children, facilitate homework help and preschool activities , and serve as helping hands, to coordinate the schedule for guests who wish to use the laundry, showers, pantry and clothes closet. Two Volunteer Hosts are needed to sleep with Shelter families each night and set out a light breakfast in the morning for guests.

Reviews

The staff is very welcoming, appreciative, professional, and well trained. Instructions are clear and it's nice to know that all staff and volunteers have gone through a security check. 98% of the time families are also very appreciative. Although it is obvious why some families might be homeless in the best of economies due to various issues, it is also true that most families are hard working people who really have run into some bad luck during these economic times. It is humbling. It is also a lot of fun to play with the kids who really are the champs in this situation. I had one new 11 year old's eyes light up when he saw how his family would get to sleep on a mat and have their own cubby. "Cool!!" What a great attitude---I went home smiling and I should note that I have never felt unsafe while volunteering at this shelter.